Philostra's Institute
by Subspace
Summary: As major events unfold at Hogwarts, life goes on for Wizarding schools elsewhere in the world. This story is of a North American school and her students.
1. Prologue

**Philostra's Institute for Young Wizards and Witches.**

Prologue

By: Audenti ( Oddy ) Philostra

**October 31st, 1990. **

**Somewhere in Albania.**

"Vincent…"

The high raspy voice uttered the name from within a dank and dark cluster of withered and rotting trees. Vincent stood tall and glanced about the woods; mildly startled by the change the environment had overcome. The last time he was here, the trees were full, the bark healthy and moist, the leaves and branches filled with insects, nests and small animals. Moonlight had broken through the canopy and had filtered beautifully along the forest earth.

Of course, that was during a time when _he_ had just moved in.

Now the animals knew well enough to avoid his presence. The trees and the earth weren't so lucky. Like the animals that didn't run, they had the life drained out of them. Even the moon seemed to avoid the area in which he resided.

Vincent had to concede to _his_ power, and if others like him were smart, they'd do the same. Even in _his_ broken form, _he_ still demanded that much.

"I am right here, _Maitre_," Vincent said half-chidingly, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

There was low and sharp sounding hiss that emanated somewhere from within the brush. It put the dark hairs on the back of Vincent's head on end. "You dare mock me? You who know full well the extent of my power." the voice whispered quietly. "Have you so soon forgotten?"

For an instant, there was so much malice in the air; so much raw anger that Vincent feared it would obliterate him. It passed over him in a wave, forced him to shudder visibly.

"Forgive me, _Maitre_," Vincent soothed, and he splayed his smooth fingers across his dark face…an attempt to hide the ridiculous grin that was forming. "I have not forgotten. I do not believe anyone has,"

"Oh…but they have, Vincent," the voice rattled from the darkness. "Those fools in the Ministry, they prattle on as if I had never existed, as if the fear and pain I brought upon their miserable lives were but a memory. How I loathe them. If I were to be restored…"

"I regret… that I have no _soul_ for you to feed on, _Maitre_."

The voice chuckled slightly. "Ah, yes…I am sure your dead heart weeps…" the voice paused and then continued with, "So tell me, Vincent, why have you blackened my day with your presence?"

Vincent smiled. "The friend I mentioned before…the one who works at Philostra's? He may have found me a way inside."

"You cannot go inside. You are Uninvited."

"Indeed, _Maitre_," Vincent said, once again hiding the grin on his face. "But, I am sure you know well that there is a loophole." There was a pregnant silence in the air of those dark woods before Vincent added, "She turns twelve tonight…"

Then there was laughter coming from the darkness. Short, raspy, gasping laughter that was utterly without mirth. "Vincent," the voice whispered, "If you can get into Philostra's… I shall be most pleased."

Vincent shrugged, and he grinned again, teeth and fangs gleaming white and the little moonlight there was in the clearing. "_Mon seigneur_ Voldemort, it is no longer a question of 'if'. It is a question of 'when'."

With that, Vincent gathered his black robes, turned and dispapparated, leaving the greatest wizard who ever lived alone in his dying woods. 


	2. Baigan's Mall

**Philostra's Institute for Young Wizards and Witches.**

By: Subspace (_Formally Audenti Philostra…before I decided that was dumb =p_)

**Based on the concepts by J.K. Rowling.**

~Baigan's Mall~ 

As the light sedan came to a stop in front of the entrance to the vast North York Shopping Mall, Mille unbuckled her seatbelt and looked across to the driver. Petr was a friend of her mother's and had been for even a few years before they moved here to Toronto, and Mille was accustomed to his company. Still, she really didn't like asking for handouts, and her question for him stuck in her mouth. Mille bit her lip and turned quickly turned away.

"What is it?" Petr asked in his low drawl.  "Come on Mille, I know that look, you want to tell me something, eh?"

"Um…" Mille glanced at him and looked away again. "Um…it's just that… I-I sort of need…" Mille blew out her cheeks and gave Petr a good hard look. "There's something else I want to get…other than my school books. But I don't have enough." She trailed off and looked down at her feet.

Petr chuckled and pulled out a twenty-dollar bill from his wallet on the dashboard. "Is that all? Yeesh, I thought you were going to ask me about boys or something." Nonplused, Mille's blue eyes widened slightly, but Petr continued. "Go on, take it. I know I already paid you for babysitting and all…but you're a friend. Is no problem."

Mille reached over, nearly snatched the bill out of Petr's hand, and gave him a big hug. With his contribution, she now had nearly one hundred and fifty dollars to spend on her list. It'd have to be enough. She got out of the car, and when she closed the door, Mille signalled for Petr to roll the window down. "So…is five o'clock okay?" she asked when he had done so. Petr nodded and added, "Have fun. You're too pale; you should go out more often. Find a tanning booth or something eh?" Mille smiled weakly as Petr gave her the thumbs-up and drove away. When the car was nearly out of the parking lot, Mille turned to the entrance, took the note out of her bum pocket and looked at it. Part of the note read:

_Now Baigan's Mall is protected by a Farifori enchantment.  
This means that in order to enter, you must speak aloud an entrance  
password as you pass through the doors. Otherwise you'll simply  
enter into the Muggle mall.  
  
I have a Password for you. It's  
"A witches britches never itches."_

"_'Witches britches never itches…_'" Mille repeated thoughtfully. "_Would Witches wear britches, I wonder… I doubt it. Rhymes…I hope he's not teasing me."_ She looked up to the sliding doors of the mall, closed her eyes and started forward while whispering 'A witches britches never itches. A witches britches never itches. A witches britches never itch-'

A cool feeling, like a spring breeze, washed over her. When Mille opened her eyes she didn't see the Muggle's Mall that she saw through the doors. Instead she saw a cavernous, old-mortar shopping district filled with witches and wizards of just about every size and shape. As she walked inside, Mille noticed owls and bats flittering through the air, carrying packages and messages. A couple of elderly witches were having tea outside the _Northern Lights_ coffee shop, a gaggle of young girls came giggling out of _Robes by Zelda _carrying new outfits and comparing new hats, and a small boy nearly ran into Mille as he chased after his newly brought and much too brawny owl.

It was that time of year after all. In a week's time it would be September 1st, and the new semester for schooling wizards and witches would soon begin.

Mille looked around a bit, absently scratching her stringy black hair, and glanced up to the second floor. There she saw her first destination: the Baigan's chapter of _Gringotts Wizarding Bank._ Mille stuffed the note back into her bum pocket and went up the flight of stairs to the second floor, dodging a delivery of Nimbus 2000's to _The 3 Hooplets: Quidditch Supplies for the Season_. 

When Mille entered Gringotts she found it nearly empty. It was past three after all, and it was a day of the week that was not usually busy for the bank. Mille was able to stroll right up to the counter, which by the look of it was unoccupied. Looking to her right, she saw a parchment on the wall that listed a group of Muggle coins, and their years. Mille leaned in closer to get a better look. 

"Whaddya want?" a gruff voice blasted from behind her. Mille jumped and spun around, her hand clutching against her chest. A short and stocky goblin had popped up from behind the counter. His nose was more hooked than any Goblin she had seen, and a veritable forest of hair sprouted from inside his large ears. When she didn't say anything, he eyed her closely and snorted. "Yer a bit young, aient ya? Yer here to trade?"

Mille blinked and tried to straighten herself. "Uh, yeah…I need some money." She pulled out all of her hundred and fifty Canadian dollars and placed it on the counter.

The Goblin pulled out a monocle from his vest and eyed the money carefully. When he was finished, placed the money on a scale and began depositing Knuts, Sickles and Galleons on the other scale to balance it out. When it was balanced, he picked up the Wizards money and laid it out in front of her.

"Thirty-one Galleons, two sickles and twenty-six Knuts," the Goblin said as he pushed the cash towards her. "Good day." With that, he disappeared back behind the counter.

Mille picked up her money, pocketed it and left the store. Her next stop would be to Robes by Zelda. She smiled to herself when she thought about the little money she'd have to spend there, since her mother sewed most of her clothes already. 

In fact, since she had gotten her most expensive supplies during her first year at school, such as her wand and her cauldrons, thirty-odd Galleons should be enough to get her most of the way this year. It wasn't a lot, but she only had a few articles of clothing to buy, a new scroll-pad and quill and her schoolbooks. It'd be the books that would kill her – she knew that much. According to the list she had received from, the books had gotten a little more expensive this year. It was a huge inconvenience, but there was nothing that she could do about it.

In Robes by Zelda, a middle-edged witch wearing a lot of make-up helped Mille. The woman tried to get her to try on several of the latest in Girls Robes fashion, but Mille insisted the witch just show her the buttons.

"Buttons?" the witch asked confusedly, before she glanced at Mille's list. "Ah, right. So you're a new student, eh?" The witch waltzed over to a display and pulled out a bundle of cloth and unfolded it, revealing a row of shiny golden buttons. They were rectangular, with the insignia of a 'P' on it. Mille paid two Galleons and seven Knuts for the bundle, and the witch smiled to her and said, "Have a good year."

Next Mille paid just over three Galleons for a new supply of quills, parchments and scrolls at _The Mightier Quill_ and afterwards started towards the Baigan chapter of _Merles & Burls_, a popular bookselling store. The store was relatively empty; there were two couples with small children browsing the displays near the front of the store. After cross-referencing the booklists in the store to the one she had, she searched and picked up _Intermediate Guide to Dark Forces_, _The Standard Book of Spells_, _Intermediate Transfigurations…_

"_Oh no_," Mille groaned as she packed the Transfiguration textbook on top of her pile. She had been slowly doing the math in her head and she now realized that even though she was going to skip on the Potions and History texts, she only had enough for one more book. She picked up both _the Monster Book of Monsters_ and the Herbology text and glanced at the both of them in turn. Which one did she know the least? Placing the books on a nearby countertop, Mille sighed heavily and began to distress about her decision.

"What are you doing?"

Mille jumped at the sudden voice and turned quickly. There was a young wizard in dark robes looking at her quizzically, with a bag full of the same books she was buying. The boy had one very strange features; his hair was dull green. She didn't know if it was Glamoured or enchanted or not. 

"Say again?" asked Mille.

The boy suddenly looked perturbed. "Uh…I…I just noticed those books, they're the same as mine."

Mille scowled. "Yes?"

"It's just…uh…"

Mille leaned her back against the counter and gave the boy a tired look.  

"Well, if you're wondering if those are the right books, they are."

Nodding her head in that annoyed manner, she said, "I know that. Thank you." With that, she began to turn away.

"I mean, they're the right books, so why don't you get them?"

Mille's right eye twitched, and she turned to face the boy with jerky and stiff motions. "What?" she asked incredulously.

The boy took an involuntary step back. "Uh, wh…why don't you by them?" he tried. "I don't see the problem…"

Mille smiled, reached blindly for the books behind them and brought them up before her. "Which do you like better?" she asked in a honeyed tone.

Confused by her sudden change in demeanour, the boy scratched his head and shrugged. "Care of Magical Creatures, I guess."

Still smiling, Mille dropped the Care of Magical Creatures text back on the counter, placed the Herbology text back on her pile of books, and scraped the word 'twit' out before leaving for the register.

It was nearly five o'clock by the time Mille left Baigan's Mall, and she managed to escape with only a few Knuts remaining. Petr was, as usual, right on time. He picked Mille up at the entrance and took her home, constantly asking about the strange quills in her bag. Every time he asked, Mille mentioned something about an 'art class'. When they finally reached a tall apartment building on Bay Street, Petr dropped her off, waved and left.

Mille took the elevator up to the fourteenth floor (which was actually the thirteenth floor) and knocked on door number 14D. When the door opened a slight black woman pulled the girl inside. The small apartment was dimly lit, as usual, with all the windows drawn and shut, and only the lamps and shades gave the room any light.

"So how'd it go, baby?" the woman asked as she went through Mille's bag. "Get everything you need?"

"Most of it," Mille groaned tiredly before plopping herself on the couch. She looked up and saw the woman grinning at her with her hands behind her back. "What is it? Come on, mum, why're you looking at me like that?"

Her mother's grin widened and she held up her right hand. "I've got a couple surprises for you, babe." She extended her index finger. "One, I've gone ahead and got all your clothes done."

"Already?" Mille breathed. "Legend! You're real fast with that sewing mum." She paused and a thought suddenly crossed her mind. "The second surprise isn't me trying them on, is it?" she asked warily.

"Well, that's the third surprise sweetie. Actually your second surprise is…" and with that, she revealed her other hand, this one holding a letter with a special engraved seal.

Mille shot up to her feet and glared at the letter silently. She recognized that seal, it was from Hogwarts. "_I thought everything was cleared up already,_" she thought a bit dejectedly. "_What's he got to say now?_"


End file.
